Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

"Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" was directed by the legendary Frank Capra. It was the first of several successful films of his featuring a common man who makes good, at the expense of corrupt, greedy and powerful men. Later films on this same theme would be "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "You Can't Take it With You", and "It's a Wonderful Life".

Longfellow Deeds (Gary Cooper) lives peacefully in the podunk community of Mandrake Falls, where he makes his living writing poems for greeting cards. He is visited by strangers from the big city, who tell him that he has inherited a twenty million dollar estate. Deeds is taken to live in his New York City mansion, with blunt spoken, frog voiced Cobb (Lionel Stander) serving as his secretary.

A team of crooked lawyers, led by John Cedar (Douglas Dumbrille) is out to fleece the naive Deeds, but Deeds proves more wary than expected. However, he falls promptly for reporter Babe Bennett (Jean Arthur), who pretends to be a 'lady in distress' in order to get a story. Deeds' late-night foolishness, encouraged by Bennett, makes him the city's laughing stock. Bennett's scandal-sheet editor is played by George Bancroft.

Deeds finally has had enough of the ridicule, and is determined to give away his fortune to farmers ruined by the Depression. With Cedar's windfall in jeopardy, he tries to put Deeds into a mental asylum. A dramatic court battle follows, with H.B. Warner playing the judge.

The film's first half is very entertaining. Cooper's excitement over fire engines, Stander's acid remarks, and Arthur's sweet impersonation leads to for frequent laughs. The second half is disappointing, however. Spoiler alert! The courtroom scenes have Arthur, Cobb and Bennett making unlikely, impassioned pleas for Cooper, who is so depressed that he has refused both counsel and comment.

Cooper finally stirs at the last possible moment, giving a vigorous, eloquent, and populist self-defense. This is uncharacteristic of Deeds' personality. He also manages to reveal convenient personality foibles in all his oppressors. Cooper caps his show by decking the smarmy lawyer, an action that the presiding judge ignores. The lawyers and Semple's rich relations are predictably and unflatteringly depicted. The 'common man' farmers that Cooper supports all seem like earnest, unreflecting clones of each other.

"Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" was the third film directed by Frank Capra to receive Oscar nominations for both Best Picture and Best Director. The film also gave Gary Cooper a nomination for Best Actor, the first of five nominations he would receive during his career. Frequent Capra collaborator Robert Riskin was also nominated for the screenplay. (59/100)